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Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles. For those nights when you’re craving spicy, warming, Chinese inspired noodles, but don’t want to wait for takeout. Crispy caramelized ground chicken in a sweet, spicy, and tangy mushroom sauce atop egg noodles in steaming, spicy broth. These quick vegetable-filled Chinese inspired noodles can be made and ready in just about 30 minutes. Not only are they a touch healthier, but these noodles taste so much better than your average takeout!
Tuesday night just got better with these yummy takeout noodles. Yep, switching things up again this week and swapping out my usual sweet recipes for something a bit more savory. Not typical of me, but I was way too excited to share these Dan Dan inspired noodles with you guys.
First things first. I want to put it out there that I’m very well aware that these noodles are not authentic Chinese. I do know this, and I don’t mean to offend anyone by sharing this recipe. This recipe is just my take on Chinese style Dan Dan noodles. My easier, much, much simpler, “short cut” take. These noodles are saucy, spicy, so very warming, and beyond delicious.
Quick and easy enough for a weeknight, but fun enough for a Saturday night Halloween movie marathon.
Some background.
If you’re not familiar with Dan Dan noodles, they are spicy Chinese noodles with a dark sauce that usually contains preserved vegetables, chili oil, minced pork (I’m using chicken), and green onions. From everything I’ve read, the meat is caramelized and made crispy, then served over noodles. You can serve the noodles either dry or in a spicy broth…
I went for the spicy broth, because it’s been snowing here and it’s cold. So spicy broth wins. Always.
Here are all the details on making these noodles.
As I said, these are not authentic Dan Dan noodles. I took some short-cuts to make the noodles weeknight-friendly, but still delicious.
Start with the chili. You can buy this of course, but I’ve yet to find a great chili oil I love. Plus it’s so easy to make. Simply simmer sesame oil with garlic and red pepper flakes until the garlic is fragrant. This takes only five minutes. Simple.
While that’s happening, make the sauce. It’s s a simple mix of hoisin sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and peanut butter or tahini. Hoisin is not traditional, but it adds so much flavor without having to add a million and one ingredients to the sauce.
Side Note: I’ve yet to find a great hoisin sauce that doesn’t contain tons of sugar…so I began making my own. If this interests you, the quick sauce mix-up is in the recipe notes!
Next, boil the egg noodles. You can really use any kind of noodle, but a good egg noodle is probably best. If you are gluten-free, use your favorite rice noodles. Those will be great too!
Drain the noodles, then add the broth and some of the sauce mix to that same pot. This is your “spicy broth” to mix the noodles with. Keep this on low while you brown the chicken.
The final step is to brown the chicken in a skillet with the remaining sauce and mushrooms. Finely chop the mushrooms, as they add not only a vegetable, but also flavor. You don’t even realize they’re there, but they add SO MUCH. Trust me.
Once the sauce coats the chicken, let the chicken get a little crisp in the skillet and begin to caramelize around the edges.
To assemble, ladle the spicy broth into bowls, add the noodles, and toss with the broth. Then top with that crispy caramelized meat, spoon over additional chili sauce, and add fresh green onions.
Find a spoon, find chopsticks. ENJOY.
A couple notes…
Be sure to serve the noodles as soon as you toss them with the broth. The broth is minimal and really thickens up once you toss it with the noodles.
If you want to make these noodles vegetarian, just double the mushrooms. I haven’t tested that, but I’m sure it would be so delicious.
And that is it…simple, quick, and easy. The ultimate cold-weather Chinese style noodles. Not really a soup, more like extra saucy noodles. AND SO GOOD!
If you make these better than takeout Dan Dan noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles.
Servings: 6 6
Calories Per Serving: 550 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed
- 1-2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (make sure to use GF, if needed)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter or tahini
- 8 ounces Chinese style egg noodles, or rice noodles
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 pound ground chicken or pork
- 2 cups mixed mushrooms, chopped
- black pepper
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
Instructions
- 1. To make the chili oil. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 1/3 cup sesame oil, the garlic, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and very carefully transfer the oil to a heat proof bowl or glass jar. 2. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, vinegar, peanut butter/tahini, and 1/3 cup water in a bowl. 3. Cook the egg/rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. To the pot used to cook the noodles, add the broth and 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stir in the spinach. Keep warm. 4. Place the skillet used to make the chili oil, over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and the chicken. Season with black pepper and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and shallot, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the chicken and the meat begins to caramelize and get crispy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2-4 tablespoons chili oil. Remove from the heat. 5. Ladle the broth into bowls. Add the noodles and toss combine. Spoon the meat over the noodles. Top with green onions and additional chili oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Hoisin: in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder, and a pinch of black pepper.
This post was originally published on October 22, 2019
Just wondering if this could be made with ground turkey instead of chicken? Thank you!
Yes, I am sure it would work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this dish tonight on my voluntary self quarantine and it was so good! My husband loved it and can’t wait until I make it again. The flavor in this dish is amazing and hits so many parts of your pallet. The chili oil sauce is a must… don’t skip that!! Next time though I’m curious to see how it would taste with chicken breast or thigh. Thank you Tieghan for another meal that was out of the park and was the light to our quarantine!!
Hi Tiara! I am so glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This was good! Instructions were a bit confusing I made my own hoisin and at end of recipe I ended up with a bowl of sauce leftover? Not sure if I made double hoisin sauce by repeating for homemade? In step four I put in two tablespoons of chili oil not sesame. Can you indicate sesame oil instead of oil because I thought you meant chili oil. I plan to make this again when I am not busy I will just make chili oil and hoisin sauce ahead of time so as not to be confused.
Hi there! I am sorry, I am a little confused as to what exactly you did. Do you mind clarifying for me?
The homemade hoisin sauce is a separate recipe and will make about 1 cup of hoisin sauce. For the Dan Dan noodle recipe, you only need to use 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce. Is this what you did? Any more detail you can give would be helpful.
Thank you!! xTieghan
What noodles are these? I feel like they are smaller than pappardelle!
Hi Jessica! They are Chinese egg noodles! You can also use rice noodles! xTieghan
I really like your site but the number of ads that block the content is becoming increasingly annoying. I understand you need to make money from doing this, but at some point, it becomes a negative.
Hi Marie! Thank you so much for the feedback! xTieghan
This was amazing. I made it for my family tonight. FYI I didn’t have mushrooms but had snap peas instead and added them in at that point. It added a great texture. Cooking down the ground chicken further than you think you should adds a great caramelization to the flavor. I am so thrilled to have found your site!
I am glad you found it too! Thank you so much for trying this Lindsey! xTieghan
Delish. An absolute keeper!!
Thank you so much Kelly! xTieghan
Turned out fantastic And quick to make.
The spouse loved it!
Thank you Andrea! xTieghan
hi. Am I missing where you say to add the spinach? don’t see it mentioned in the instructions.
Hi Cathy! It is at the end of step 3! Please let me know if you have any other questions on this recipe! I hope you love it! xTieghan
so yummy and easy to make. Definitely use low sodium soy sauce – I did not and it was a little salty.
Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
hi there! Where do the ” + 2 tablespoons of sesame oil go”? ? Thanks so much! ?♥️
Hi Emily! The two tablespoons go in during step 4! “Place the skillet used to make the chili oil, over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and the chicken.” I hope you love this recipe!! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is definitely not a 30 minute recipe. It took me an hour to make. If you’re a professional chef, it’ll probably take you less time, but the rest of us should definitely dedicate an hour to an hour an a half to this meal.
As for the taste, it’s definitely very spicy. I’m not sure how I feel about the sesame oil as it has a very distinct flavor. However, it is a pretty good dish, although it is not my favorite from HBH. Probably won’t make it again.
Hi Allison! I am sorry to hear that you did not have a great experience with this recipe. Are there any questions I could help you with? I hope you continue to love other recipes of mine! xTieghan
This is so delicious! And definitely better than takeout!!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Jess! xTieghan
Yum, so good. I actually made with ramen noodles and it turned out great!
That is so great! Thank you so much Keegan! xTieghan
I meant to take a photo and do the whole “look what I made!” on Instagram. This recipe was so good I did not manage to take a photo with my first helping, and before I could set up another my fiancé had finished it all. This household is happy and satisfied if a IG food pic short!
Haha wow, but made for a great story! I am so glad you both enjoyed this recipe so much, Maurissa! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan